Overton Captures First Career Series Win in Preliminary
SARVER, Pa. – June 25, 2016 – Scott Bloomquist battled from eighth position Saturday night to win the Firecracker 100 finale presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. Bloomquist collected his second World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series win of 2016, tangoing with both front-runners in the series and regional favorites alike.
Regional top-gun Dale McDowell began the 100-lap feature strong, as if his No. 17m Bad Boy Buggies/ University of Northwestern Ohio Warrior car was shot from a cannon. McDowell contested for the lead in the leading laps of the race, only to soon get the top spot on lap 17.
While McDowell held the No. 1 spot, three-time series champion Josh Richards consistently pursued the lead – diminishing the one-second intervals between them to less than half-of-a-second. Bloomquist bought his time in third after charging to the front from mid-pack. Not only did Richards close the gap between him and McDowell, but a caution on lap 23 included Bloomquist in a fight for first.
On a nearly perfect restart, Bloomquist overtook Richards in turn two. Richards soon reclaimed the spot, wedging his No. 1 Valvoline/ Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket car underneath Bloomquist. It was a happenstance five laps later when another caution gave Bloomquist the opportunity to throttle past Richards on the restart. Bloomquist’s No. 0 Crop Production Services / Reese Monument Co. Sweet/ Bloomquist machine succeeded.
“Overall, the car handled super,” Bloomquist said. “If you look at this car, we have a lot of good support on it. We just keep on digging.”
Bloomquist sought out the lead. McDowell, who began to fade as the race progressed, found himself in a power-struggle with Bloomquist. McDowell held off Bloomquist’s advances for a short time, only to forfeit the lead following a third caution on lap 52.
The top three remained a half-second within each other, though Richards fell more than one second back from the runner-up position briefly. Kicking his car into high gear within the final 20 laps, Richards reeled in McDowell, who rounded out the podium. McDowell led the majority of the laps on the night.
“Yeah, [Scott’s] definitely one of the ones to beat,” McDowell said. “When I had a little bit of grip, I was okay. We struggled all week to get a little bit of traction. It was a good end of the week for us. We’re happy.”
Then it was down to two – Bloomquist and Richards revisited their battle. With 10 laps remaining, Richards had a lot of real estate while Bloomquist weaved through lapped traffic. Though this predicament gave Richards a fighting chance, Bloomquist’s stealth through the 28-car field built him enough of a cushion to fend off Richards. Bloomquist won the race by a 2.576-second margin.
“We just lacked a little bit…” Richards said. “Scott could turn just ever-so-slightly better, and that was the difference of winning. Scott did a good job. I mean, I’m still glad we were that close at the end.”
The victory is Bloomquist’s third Firecracker 100 trip to victory lane.
“We’re used to overcoming adversity,” Bloomquist said. “We got up early and got after it again for both shows. I wasn’t interested in taking the lead too early. I ran every possible line I could run around this racetrack before I took the lead. I just wanted to see where I lost ground or gained ground. So when we got the lead, I knew where to put my car.”
In the preliminary feature earlier in the day, 2015 Rookie of the Year Brandon Overton finally accomplished the win he said he would get “someday.” Overton led all 30 laps to get his first career World of Outlaws win.
Victory lane was an emotional experience for Overton, tears collecting in his eyes as he mustered-up enough composure to address a full-capacity crowd. Overton placed third in Friday night’s preliminary, but this win trumped any performance he has had so far in his career.
“I knew it was coming but…I just don’t know what to say,” said Overton, overwhelmed by the standing ovation from the fans. “My daddy went home yesterday because he wasn’t feeling good. I just wish he stayed one more day. He spent every damn dime to get me here.”
Overton opened-up a 3.171 lead on Bloomquist and Richard within the first ten laps of the race. He went on to win by a 1.257 margin. Richards finished runner-up to Overton, and Bloomquist rounded-out the podium.
“I’ll tell you what, he’s had it coming for a long time,” Richards said. “He’s a great racer. We gave it everything we had. Those guys did a great job. Congratulations to them.”
The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series heads to Rockford Speedway in Loves Park, Ill. for the “Outlaw Clay Classic” on Wednesday, June 29 and Thursday, June 30. There, they will pair-up with the World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series for the ultimate show. Advanced tickets may be purchased for the event.
Follow the World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series on Twitter at Twitter.com/WoOLateModels, like it on Facebook at Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries, or check out the latest videos on YouTube at Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws.
World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series Statistical Report; June 25, 2016; Lernerville Speedway; Sarver, Pa.
Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com
A- Main (100 laps): 1. 0- Scott Bloomquist [8] [$30,300]; 2. 1- Josh Richards [5] [$15,375]; 3. 17m- Dale McDowell [3] [$7,000]; 4. 1P- Earl Pearson Jr. [14] [$6,000]; 5. 116- Jonathan Davenport [6] [$5,000]; 6. 39- Tim McCreadie [2] [$4,150]; 7. 7- Rick Eckert [1] [$3,300]; 8. 25- Shane Clanton [13] [$2,850]; 9. 22- Gregg Satterlee [12] [$2,250]; 10. 21JR- Billy Moyer Jr. [9] [$2,550]; 11. 76- Brandon Overton [21] [$2,150]; 12. 2- Dan Stone [11] [$1,800]; 13. C9- Steve Casebolt [16] [$1,750]; 14. 1*- Chub Frank [7] [$1,750]; 15. 18- Eric Wells [26] [$1,500]; 16. 18c- Chase Junghans [19][$1,400]; 17. 14m- Morgan Bagley [25] [$1,350]; 18. 56- Russ King [22] [$1,700]; 19. 99B- Boom Briggs [15] [$1,100]; 20. H1- Jared Miley [10] [$1,000]; 21. 99JR- Frank Heckenast Jr. [18] [$1,050]; 22. 38s- Kenny Pettyjohn [23] [$1,000]; 23. 3s- Brian Shirley [4] [$1,050]; 24. 1B- Mike Benedum [17] [$1,000]; 25. 72c- Jason Covert [24] [$1,000]; 26. 25z- Mason Zeigler [20] [$1,000]; 27. 10- Alex Ferree [27] [$1,000]; 28. 1C- Mike Pegher [28] [$1,000]
Last Chance Showdown No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1B- Mike Benedum; 2. 18c- Chase Junghans; 3. 76- Brandon Overton; 4. 38s- Kenny Pettyjohn; 5. 11s- Austin Smith; 6. 2m- Allen Murray; 7. 18- Eric Wells; 8. 94- Charles Powell Jr.; 9. 111- Matt Lux; 10. 44s- Dave Hess; 11. 10L- Gary Lyle; 12. 14- Dan Angellicchrio; 13. 1C- Mike Pegher
Last Chance Showdown No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 99JR- Frank Heckenast Jr.; 2. 25z- Mason Zeigler; 3. 56- Russ King; 4. 72c- Jason Covert; 5. B22- Bump Hedman; 6. 91- Tyler Erb; 7. 10- Alex Ferree; 8. 3- Dan Swartzlander; 9. 2c- Joey Coulter; 10. 73- Devin Lewis; 11. 66- Todd Bachman; 12. 72- Mike Norris; 13. 14m- Morgan Bagley (DNS); 14. 15- Darrell Lanigan (DNS)
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1- Josh Richards; 2. 1*- Chub Frank; 3. 21JR- Billy Moyer Jr.; 4. 25- Shane Clanton; 5. 44s- Dave Hess; 6. 18- Eric Wells; 7. 38s- Kenny Pettyjohn; 8. 111- Matt Lux; 9. 94- Charles Powell Jr.; 10. 1C- Mike Pegher
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 3s- Brian Shirley; 2. 7- Rick Eckert; 3. H1- Jared Miley; 4. 1P- Earl Pearson Jr.; 5. 76- Brandon Overton; 6. 18c- Chase Junghans; 7. 1B- Mike Benedum; 8. 14- Dan Angellicchio; 9. 11s- Austin Smith; 10. 2m- Allen Murray; 11. 10L- Gary Lyle
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 116- Jonathan Davenport; 2. 39- Tim McCreadie; 3. 2- Dan Stone; 4. 99B- Boom Briggs; 5. 2c- Joey Coulter; 6. 99JR- Frank Heckenast Jr.; 7. 72c- Jason Covert; 8. 56- Russ King; 9. 66- Todd Bachman; 10. B22- Bump Hedman; 11. 15- Darrell Lanigan
Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 0- Scott Bloomquist; 2. 17m- Dale McDowell; 3. 22- Gregg Satterlee; 4. C9- Steve Casebolt; 5. 25z- Mason Zeigler; 6. 10- Alex Ferree; 7. 3- Dan Swartzlander; 8. 73- Devin Lewis; 9. 14m- Morgan Bagley; 10. 72- Mike Norris; 11. 91- Tyler Erb
Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com Preliminary
A-Main (30 laps): 1. 76- Overton [1] [$6,250]; 2. 1- Josh Richards [3] [$3,300]; 3. 0- Scott Bloomquist [144] [$2,200]; 4. 1*- Chub Frank [2] [$1,950]; 5. 22- Gregg Satterlee [6] [$1,500]; 6. 18- Eric Wells; 7. 17m- Dale McDowell [8] [$1,300]; 8. 39- Tim McCreadie [7] [$1,350]; 9. 7- Rick Eckert [14] [$1,450]; 10. 1C- Mike Pegher [10] [$1,550]; 11. 1P- Earl Pearson Jr. [11] [$950]; 12. 25z- Mason Zeigler [9] [$850]; 13. C9- Steve Casebolt [14] [$850]; 14. 21JR- Billy Moyer Jr. [17] [$1,125]; 15. 25- Shane Clanton [20] [$850]; 16. 56- Russ King [12] [$700]; 17. 99JR- Frank Heckenast Jr. [18] [$710]; 18. 11s- Austin Smith [16] [$640]; 19. 3s- Brian Shirley [19] [$670]; 20. 14m- Morgan Bagley [25] [$650]; 21. 72c- Jason Covert [24] [$600]; 22. 2- Dan Stone [15] [$600]; 23. 72- Mike Norris [21] [$600]; 24. 18c- Chase Junghans [26] [$625]; 25. H1- Jared Miley [22] [$600]; 26. 99B- Boom Briggs [23] [$600]
Last Chance Showdown No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 21JR- Billy Moyer Jr.; 2. 3s- Brian Shirley; 3. 72- Mike Norris; 4. 99B- Boom Briggs; 5. 14m- Morgan Bagley; 6. 44s- Dave Hess; 7. 2m- Allen Murray; 8. 10- Alex Ferree; 9. 14- Dan Angellicchio; 10. 10L- Gary Lyle; 11. 73- Devin Lewis; 12. B22- Bump Hedman; 13. 2c- Joey Coulter; 14. 18c- Chase Junghans
Last Chance Showdown No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 99JR- Frank Heckenast Jr.; 2. 25- Shane Clanton; 3. H1- Jared Miley; 4. 72c- Jason Covert; 5. 38s- Kenny Pettyjohn; 6. 111- Matt Lux; 7. 91- Tyler Erb; 8. 94- Charles Powell Jr.; 9. 32- Jim Rasey; 10. 66- Todd Bachman; 11. KB- Kerry King; 12. 3- Dan Swartzlander
Group A Qualifying: 1. 44s- Dave Hess, 15.497; 2. 15- Darrell Lanigan, 15.505; 3. 1*- Chub Frank, 15.548; 4. 1C- Mike Pegher, 15.578; 5. 76- Brandon Overton, 15.585; 6. 17M- Dale McDowell, 15.703; 7. C9- Steve Casebolt, 15.716; 8. 72- Mike Norris, 15.767; 9. 25z- Mason Zeigler, 15.808; 10. 2c- Joey Coulter, 15.810; 11. 14m- Morgan Bagley, 15.850; 12. 99B- Boom Briggs, 15.853; 13. 21JR- Billy Moyer Jr., 15.879; 14. 22- Gregg Satterlee, 15.897; 15. 14- Dan Angellicchio, 15.952; 16. 10- Alex Ferree, 16.074; 17. 18c- Chase Junghans, 16.143; 18. 7- Rick Eckert, 16.191; 19. 73- Devin Lewis, 16.199; 20. 3s- Brian Shirley, 16.271; 21. B22- Bump Hedman, 16.310; 22. 2M- Allen Murray, 16.378; 23. Gary Lyle, 16.987
Group B Qualifying: 1. 0- Scott Bloomquist, 16.030; 2. 1- Josh Richards, 16.174; 3. 116- Jonathan Davenport, 16.391; 4. 56- Russ King; 5. 1p- Earl Pearson Jr., 16.454; 6. 11s- Austin Smith, 16.533; 7. 91- Tyler Erb, 16.586; 10. 39- Tim McCreadie, 16.597; 11. 2- Dan Stone, 16.614; 12. 38s- Kenny Pettyjohn, 16.620; 13. 7r- Ross Robinson, 16.711; 14. H1- Jared Miley, 16.721; 15. 1B- Mike Benedum, 16.741; 16. 72c- Jason Covert, 16.743; 16. 18- Eric Wells, 16.841; 17. 32- Jim Rasey, 16.866; 18. 111- Matt Lux, 16.875; 19. 25- Shane Clanton, 16.950; 20. 99JR- Frank Heckenast Jr., 17.118; 21. 3- Dan Swartzlander Jr., 17.132; 22. KB- Kerry King, 17.148; 23. 66- Todd Bachman, 17.258; 24. 94- Charles Powell Jr., 20.518
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1*-Chub Frank; 2. 76- Brandon Overton; 3. 25z- Mason Zeigler; 4. C9- Steve Casebolt; 5. 21JR- Billy Moyer Jr.; 6. 14m- Morgan Bagley; 7. B22- Bump Hedman; 8. 14- Dan Angellicchio; 9. 18c- Chase Junghans; 10. 73- Devin Lewis; 11. 10L- Gary Lyle; 12. 44s- Dave Hess
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 17m- Dale McDowell; 2. 22- Gregg Satterlee; 3. 1C- Mike Pegher; 4. 7- Rick Eckert; 5. 72- Mike Norris; 6. 3s- Brian Shirley; 7. 99B- Boom Briggs; 8. 2m- Allen Murray; 9. 2c- Joey Coulter; 10. 10- Alex Ferree
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 0- Scott Bloomquist; 2. 18- Eric Wells; 3. 1p- Earl Pearson Jr.; 4. 2- Dan Stone; 5. 99JR- Frank Heckenast Jr.; 6. 111- Matt Lux; 7. 91- Tyler Erb; 8. 7r- Ross Robinson; 9. KB- Kerry King; 10. 94- Charles Powell Jr.; 11. 116- Jonathan Davenport
Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1- Josh Richards; 2. 39- Tim McCreadie; 3. 56- Russ King; 4. 11s- Austin Smith; 5. H1- Jared Miley; 6. 25- Shane Clanton; 7. 72c- Jason Covert; 8. 38s- Kenny Pettyjohn; 9. 66- Todd Bachman; 10. 32- Jim Rasey; 11. 3- Dan Swartzlander
World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners (awards presented to noted finisher/qualifier or next highest displaying decal):
Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com
Comp Cams – $50 Product certificate : Scott Bloomquist
MSD – $50 Cash: Josh Richards
QuarterMaster – $100 Product certificate: Tim McCreadie
Wrisco Aluminum – 3 Sheets of aluminum: Josh Richards
Penske Shocks – TBD Product certificate: Rick Eckert
JE Pistons – $50 Cash: Tim McCreadie
VP Racing Fuels – $50 Cash: Shane Clanton
Edelbrock – $50 Cash: Billy Moyer Jr.
Comp Cams – $50 Cash: Billy Moyer Jr.
Morton Buildings – $50 Cash: Brandon Overton
Cometic Gasket – $50 Cash: Steve Casebolt
JRI Shocks – $50 Cash: Chub Frank
SuperFlow – $50 Cash: Chub Frank
QuarterMaster – $25 Product certificate: Eric Wells
JE Pistons – Set of rings: Chase Junghans
QuarterMaster – $50 Product certificate: Boom Briggs
Arizona Sport Shirts – $100 Product certificate: Frank Heckenast Jr.
JE Pistons – Set of rings: Frank Heckenast Jr.
MSD – $25 Cash: Josh Richards
QA1 – $50 Cash: Chub Frank
Bonus Bucks – $500 Cash: Russ King
Rookie Bonus – $250 Cash: Billy Moyer Jr.
Craftsman Bonus – $100 Cash: Scott Bloomquist
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Josh Richards
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Rick Eckert
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Shane Clanton
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Billy Moyer Jr.
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Brandon Overton
Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com Preliminary
Comp Cams – $50 Product certificate : Brandon Overton
MSD – $50 Cash: Brandon Overton
QuarterMaster – $100 Product certificate: Brandon Overton
Wrisco Aluminum – 3 Sheets of aluminum: Brandon Overton
Penske Shocks – TBD Product certificate: Scott Bloomquist
JE Pistons – $50 Cash: Eric Wells
VP Racing Fuels – $50 Cash: Tim McCreadie
Edelbrock – $50 Cash: Rick Eckert
Comp Cams – $50 Cash: Steve Casebolt
Morton Buildings – $50 Cash: Earl Pearson Jr.
Cometic Gasket – $50 Cash: Steve Casebolt
JRI Shocks – $50 Cash: Billy Moyer Jr.
SuperFlow – $50 Cash: Billy Moyer Jr.
QuarterMaster – $25 Product certificate: Shane Clanton
JE Pistons – Set of rings: Frank Heckenast Jr.
QuarterMaster – $50 Product certificate: Brian Shirley
Arizona Sport Shirts – $100 Product certificate: Morgan Bagley
JE Pistons – Set of rings: Chase Junghans
MSD – $25 Cash: Chase Junghans
QA1 – $50 Cash: Dave Hess
Bonus Bucks – $500 Cash: Mike Pegher
Rookie Bonus – $250 Cash: Billy Moyer Jr.
Craftsman Bonus – $100 Cash: Scott Bloomquist
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Brandon Overton
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Josh Richards
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Chub Frank
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Eric Wells
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Rick Eckert
2016 World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 25 – 19 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/residence/points/deficit to leader):
| Pos. | Car # | Driver | Residence | Points | Trail By |
| 1 | 1 | Josh Richards | Clarksburg, WV | 2768 | 0 |
| 2 | 25 | Shane Clanton | Zebulon, GA | 2560 | 208 |
| 3 | 7 | Rick Eckert | York, PA | 2486 | 282 |
| 4 | 76 | Brandon Overton | Evans, GA | 2428 | 340 |
| 5 | 3S | Brian Shirley | Chatham, IL | 2414 | 354 |
| 6 | 21JR | Billy Moyer Jr. | Batesville, AR | 2364 | 404 |
| 7 | C9 | Steve Casebolt | Richmond, IN | 2356 | 412 |
| 8 | 1* | Chub Frank | Bear Lake, PA | 2344 | 424 |
| 9 | 99JR | Frank Heckenast Jr. | Frankfort, IL | 2300 | 468 |
| 10 | 14M | Morgan Bagley | Gladewater, TX | 2276 | 492 |
| 11 | 18 | Eric Wells | Hazard, KY | 2272 | 496 |
| 12 | 18C | Chase Junghans | Manhattan, KS | 2246 | 522 |
| 13 | 91 | Tyler Erb | New Waverly, TX | 1924 | 844 |
| 14 | 2C | Joey Coulter | Union Grove, NC | 1880 | 888 |
| 15 | 99B | Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs | Bear Lake, PA | 1656 | 1112 |
| 16 | 0 | Scott Bloomquist | Mooresburg, TN | 1116 | 1652 |
| 17 | 17M | Dale McDowell | Chickamauga, GA | 1088 | 1680 |
| 18 | 22 | Gregg Satterlee | Indiana, PA | 1010 | 1758 |
| 19 | 11 | Austin Smith | Cedartown, GA | 968 | 1800 |
| 20 | 6 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA | 916 | 1852 |
The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Bad Boy Off Road (Official Side-by-Side Vehicle), Craftsman (Official Tool), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Morton Buildings (Official Building), Sears (Official Home Store), The Kenny Wallace Dirt Racing Experience (Official Racing Experience, VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel) and DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, MSD, Penske Shocks, QA1, QuarterMaster, Superflow Dynos and Wrisco Aluminum; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, Integra Shocks, Impact Racing Products, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis and TNT Rescue.